There are all kinds of activities that go on in your neighborhood community centers. Some may very well surprise you.

Consider the "Happy Hookers," for example. The group of senior women gathers weekly at the Hampton Senior Center to provide instruction on the basics of knitting and crocheting.

And then there are the "Pee Wee Picassos" who meet Saturday mornings at the Brittingham-Midtown Community Center in Newport News to dabble in watercolors and finger painting.

The winter months are a perfect time to explore the offerings of your community parks and recreation department. Most new classes will begin within the next week or two, and fees are nominal, generally ranging from $35 to $80 for the entire season.

Mothers and daughters can team up to belly dance the winter months away at a parks and recreation program at Janna's International Dance Studio in Newport News. Or, perhaps, cake decorating piques your interest. There's a class for that, too.

In James City County, you can learn to play racquetball, and in Gloucester you can practice balancing on a beam in gymnastics class or join a basketball team. In Isle of Wight County, pick up mixed martial arts or join a quilting bee.

"We offer over 300 classes each quarter for ages 1.5 (to) seniors," says Renee Popernack, senior promotions coordinator for the Newport News parks and recreation department. "Our most popular classes are our dance and gymnastics classes at our Riverview Gymnastics Center and our wide variety of fitness classes offered at sites throughout Newport News. Most people do not realize we offer specialty classes in computers, quilting and cooking. You do not have to be a resident of Newport News to sign up for a class (everyone pays the same rate)."

Newport News, Hampton, York County, James City County, Williamsburg, Poquoson, Gloucester, Isle of Wight County and Suffolk all have parks and recreation departments that offer classes, sports and other programs. Mathews County disbanded its parks and recreation department in 2003. The Mathews County YMCA offers a variety of similar programs.

The best way to find a program is to look at your city or county's parks and recreation website for the program catalog. You can also visit a community center to pick up a printed copy.

Proof of residence is not required to participate, so you can search neighboring localities to find a class that suits your needs. Newport News offers the largest variety of classes on the Peninsula. Most classes do require prior registration, so call before you go.

And, if taking a new class isn't one of your New Year's resolutions, consider volunteering to fulfill your bucket list.